Beauty chat with Keds' Michelle Kelchak

Chrissy Callahan is a freelance beauty/fashion writer and editor. She has written for a variety of different websites and covered everything from NY Fashion Week to interviews with top industry professionals. For the latest beauty and fa...

Experts speak out!

Ever wondered what goes on in the minds of the fashion industry's best experts? You're about to find out! Over the next few months, I'll be chatting all things fashion and beauty with some of the brightest minds in the industry. Up today? Michelle Kelchak, Design Director of Keds.

Beauty chat

Expertsspeak out!

Ever wondered what goes on in the minds of the fashion industry's best experts? You're about to find out! Over the next few months, I'll be chatting all things fashion and beauty with some of the brightest minds in the industry. Up today? Michelle Kelchak, Design Director of Keds.

Fall hair on the runways was super fun with creative braids, haute ponies and chic twists. I like to add a little bit of fun to my hair by accessorizing with fun bobby pins in bright colors, crystals and metallic gold with pins by L. Erickson.

With bright colors making such a bold statement in fashion, I like to keep my nails neutral. Steel-ing the Scene by Essie is a great color because it can look like gold or silver depending on what you're wearing. It also hits on the metallic trend for fall.

SK: What's your favorite way to style your Keds?

MK: We really strive to provide fresh product on a continuous basis. The Taylor Swift partnership has been amazing! We just launched her fall collection and the prints are so all-American and versatile. The designs are also inspired by her actual wardrobe, so it couldn’t be more Taylor. I'd love to do a collaboration with Marc Jacobs for Marc by Marc. His designs, like the cat loafer, and prints are so whimsical and I think it would fit into the fun feeling of Keds. Plus who wouldn't want to collaborate with a designer who wears pajamas to a black tie event?

Hailee Steinfeld at the 2013 Met BallPhoto credit: Lia Toby/WENN.com

SK: Do you have a celeb fashion crush?

MK: Hailee Steinfeld. I loved her starburst-printed House of Holland dress at the Teen Choice awards and her safety pin embroidered dress by Donna Karen Atelier for the Met Gala.

SK: What fall fashion trend are you most excited about?

MK: I'm excited about the fall punk trend because I love plaid and there will be tons of choices out there! The trend is much more fun and feminine than it was in the '70s, like Hailee's pale pink Met Gala dress with metallic embroidered safety pins, which they made to look like flowers!

SK: Are sneakers and dresses a fashion do or a don't?

MK: Certain sneakers work really well with dresses, like Keds. Low-profile sneakers in feminine colors complement dresses perfectly, and prints can add a real pop of style.